Clinton Keith may be divided in two phases to accelerate construction

Now that a portion of the 960-acre Anheuser Busch ranch and other properties have been acquired, transportation officials are mapping out a strategy for accelerating the extension of Clinton Keith Road east to state Route 79, which is also known as Winchester Road.

Juan Perez, director of the Riverside County Transportation and Land Management Agency, said officials are exploring the idea of building Clinton Keith -- one of Southwest County's principal east-west thoroughfares -- in two phases.

Perez said the goal is to break ground on the first phase by year's end.

"We’ve love to do the whole thing," he said. "But we just don’t think that’s feasible.”

So, instead, the county wants to first build a two-lane road, with bridges, from Whitewood Road to Trois Valley Street, crossing the ranch and Warm Springs Creek. Perez said the county is working with Murrieta, the Riverside County Transportation Commission and Western Riverside Council of Governments to pay for that work.

"That would at least get us a connection over to Leon Road. And from Leon you can get over to 79," Perez said.

Leon intersects with Max Gilliss Boulevard, which runs down to Winchester Road.

Later, agencies would widen the two-lane section to six lanes, and build a new section leading almost straight south from Leon to Winchester, Perez said. The improvements would build on an existing six-lane section of Clinton Keith through a housing tract.

Perez said cost estimates should be finalized by April or May. Money has yet to be set aside for either phase. But he said officials are trying to locate funding to launch the first phase by late 2013.

"There have been lots of suggestions on ways to approach this and lots of suggestions on how to get funding," said Murrieta Mayor Rick Gibbs. "We’re hopeful. From Murrieta's standpoint, this is probably one of the last major east-west thoroughfares in the county that really hasn’t been addressed.”

If splitting the project into two parts delivers results earlier, such a strategy may be worth pursuing, Gibbs said.

“It’s better than doing nothing," he said.

As Southwest County communities have grown, Clinton Keith has become an increasingly important artery.

The long-term plan is to tie Clinton Keith into a third state highway, opening a way for motorists to drive from Wildomar on the west to French Valley on the east.

The Clinton Keith extension is also being pursued to take pressure off nearby, parallel Los Alamos Road, which some motorists use to reach I-215, Perez said.

"And it’s basically a dirt road," he said.

Besides Los Alamos, there aren't many alternate routes to the freeway.

“Right now, they either have to go north to Scott Road or south to Murrieta Hot Springs Road," Perez said.

Lack of options, Gibbs said, also makes for a grueling drive to Vista Murrieta High from the east. He said it takes French Valley residents half an hour to travel three or four miles.

"Having Clinton Keith punched through all the way will make a significant difference in routing and time consumed for the folks in the Winchester area, as well as eastern Murrieta," Gibbs said. "It’s a crucial element that needs to be filled in for a lot of reasons, and foremost for the sanity of our residents.”